SkinCeuticals Clarifying Clay Masque for skin with dark spots
Kaolin
Bentonite
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Glycerin
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit ExtractAverage
- AverageNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- Low RiskSafety
Works for skin with dark spots; other cleansing masks fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dark spots: hyperpigmentation, sun spots, and uneven skin tone. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate suitability for your normal skin, as glycerin and aloe barbadensis leaf juice provide humectant action, but it lacks sufficient emollient ingredients for optimal results.
- The kaolin and bentonite provide excellent pore cleansing and mild exfoliation, which are supportive but not targeted for your main goal of pigmentation.
- The product is generally safe for your normal skin, with some risks of irritation due to the presence of AHAs.
How to apply
- Use this cleansing mask once a week to start, and increase frequency only if your skin feels fine.
- Apply the cleansing mask in your weekly routine after the cleanser and enzyme powder, but before the hydrating toner.
- Spread an even layer over your face while carefully avoiding the delicate eye area.
- Apply the cleansing mask to clean and dry skin for the best and most comfortable results.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid combining it with strong acids.
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 900+ reviewsUsers consistently praise this mask for effectively decongesting pores and reducing excess oil without stripping or drying out the skin, making it a favorite for oily, combination, and acne-prone types. The formula is frequently noted for leaving skin feeling smooth, soft, and balanced, with many users reporting visible improvements in pore size and skin texture after regular use.
Highlights
Non-drying formula Mostly Mentioned
- “doesn't strip skin”
- “leaves skin soft”
- “creamy texture”
- “hydrated feel”
Pore refining Mostly Mentioned
- “pores look smaller”
- “cleans out pores”
- “removes blackheads”
- “decongests skin”
Oil control Often Mentioned
- “controls excess oil”
- “mattified look”
- “balances skin”
- “reduces shine”
Smoothes texture Often Mentioned
- “skin feels smooth”
- “soft and supple”
- “improves skin texture”
- “exfoliates gently”
Soothing effect Sometimes Noted
- “calms red skin”
- “soothing on application”
- “doesn't irritate sensitive skin”
- “calms breakouts”
High price Sometimes Noted
- “cost a bit more”
- “expensive”
- “pricey”
- “investment product”
Application difficulty Rarely Noted
- “hard to smooth”
- “takes effort to apply”
- “thick consistency”
- “hard to spread”
Jar packaging Rarely Noted
- “dip fingers in”
- “jar is unhygienic”
- “prefer a tube”
- “messy jar”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “smelled like sulfur”
- “strong smell”
- “medicinal scent”
- “earthy odor”
Sources: lovi.care, dermstore.com, lovelyskin.com, bluemercury.com, skinceuticals.com, lookfantastic.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does the Clarifying Clay Masque work for skin with dark spots?
SkinCeuticals Clarifying Clay Masque works moderately well for skin with dark spots, as its clays and plant extracts clean and refresh the skin while other products target pigmentation more directly. To work best for skin with dark spots, a product of this type needs effective exfoliating ingredients that promote a brighter complexion, along with hydrating and nourishing components like niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.
Which ingredients make this mask a good fit for skin with dark spots?
This mask contains kaolin and bentonite for deep cleaning, while glycerin and aloe help keep your skin soft and hydrated. However, to truly fade dark spots, this skin type needs targeted brightening ingredients like niacinamide and gentle exfoliating acids for a brighter, more even look.
What does Kaolin Clay do for skin with dark spots?
Kaolin clay helps gently absorb excess oil and clear out pores without drying out the skin, which makes it a useful step for managing skin with dark spots. By lifting away impurities, it helps brighten the overall look of the face and allows other targeted treatments to absorb better. To truly fade dark spots and even out skin tone, products of this type need to be paired with brightening ingredients like vitamin C or exfoliating acids.
What does Bentonite Clay do for skin with dark spots?
Bentonite clay helps draw out impurities and excess oil, leaving oily or breakout-prone skin feeling fresh and balanced. While it does not directly fade dark spots, this cleansing action clears the way for an even-looking tone and helps prevent future blemishes from leaving marks.
Where does this mask go in a skincare routine for skin with dark spots?
This cleansing mask works best as a weekly step in a routine for skin with dark spots. Because it relies on clays and fruit extracts rather than targeted brightening ingredients, a product for this skin needs added brightening actives to truly help fade dark spots.
Can I use this mask with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this mask in your routine, but apply it on nights when you are not using retinol to avoid irritation. This product needs soothing and softening ingredients to better support skin with dark spots.
How often should I use this mask?
This mask works well for your skin once a week, though other products fit it better for dark spots. Skin with dark spots needs products that combine pore-cleansing clays with targeted brightening ingredients and softening moisturizers.
Can this mask clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for skin with dark spots?
This mask is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts because it uses kaolin and bentonite clays to deeply clean and clear pores, though AHAs present may bring a slight risk of irritation. Skin with dark spots needs products featuring targeted brightening ingredients and rich softening ingredients for the best results.
Is this mask fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Vectorization of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid with clay enabled its penetration into deeper skin layers and led to a significant clinical reduction in fine lines in the crow's feet area compared to placebo after 28 days.
Skin Research and Technology, 2024Twice-weekly use of a clay mask over 4 weeks in 75 adults with oily or combination skin improved acne-related outcomes, sebum content, skin evenness, hydration, and reduced dryness and irritation.
Skin Research and Technology, 2023Clay jojoba oil facial masks reduced total skin lesions by a mean of 54% after 6 weeks in 133 participants with acne-prone, lesioned skin and mild acne compared to baseline.
Forschende Komplementarmedizin, 2012Quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan/organic montmorillonite nanocomposite demonstrated superior moisture-adsorption and retention compared to hyaluronic acid, good UV-protection ability, negligible dermal irritation, and prominent moisture-retention efficacy on human stratum corneum when formulated into a cosmetic cream.
Carbohydrate Polymers, 2017A novel water-in-oil emulsion with a lecithin-modified bentonite prevented epidermal degradation and inflammatory protein secretion induced by urban dust and cedar pollen more effectively than a conventional water-in-oil emulsion in a reconstructed human epidermis model.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2020Bentonite nanoparticles and honey co-administration improved skin wound healing in BALB/c mice by reducing inflammatory cell infiltration and increasing fibroblastosis, new epithelium thickness, granulation area, and collagen density compared to the untreated control group.
The International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, 2025A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Fermented bilberry extract improved wrinkle depth, skin smoothness, roughness, firmness, elasticity, antioxidant capacity, and complexion evenness compared to a placebo in 66 subjects over 84 days.
Nutrients, 2024Topical application of oil-in-water creams containing wild bilberry leaves extract and seeds oil produced significant beneficial effects on the skin of healthy human volunteers.
Antioxidants, 2021Bilberry fruit extract incorporated into chitosan-based hydrogels demonstrated antioxidant, anti-hyaluronidase, and anti-tyrosinase activities, supporting their potential use in topical anti-aging preparations.
Antioxidants, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Kaolin, Bentonite, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Ci 77891 Titanium Dioxide, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Lithium Magnesium Sodium Silicate, Phenoxyethanol, Ceteareth-20, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Helianthus Annuus Sunflower Seed Oil, Saccharum Officinarum Sugar Cane Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Orange Fruit Water, Citrus Limon Lemon Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharinum Sugar Maple Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Rosemary Oil Leaf, Cucumis Sativus Cucumber Fruit Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil Flower, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Curcuma Longa Turmeric Root Extract Extract, Sclareolide, Rosa Spp Rose Oil Flower, Jasminum Officinale Jasmine Extract
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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